All Things Considered
by Shaille
Summary: The Du Couteau sisters may not be the perfect picture of sibling love, but when Cassiopeia finds a way out of her curse, it is Katarina who takes up the risk of finding the cure. She only needs to get through the vast lands of Demacia and hiring a guide is out of question. Kidnapping sounds more like Katarina's style.
1. Prologue

Welcome to Summoner's Rift!

This is going to be another multiple-chapter, character centered story. I hope you will find it entertaining.

**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

* * *

**All Things Considered**

Prologue

Lux was hyperventilating. The air around her was hot and smelled of an awful mix of urine, feces and blood, but she was trying to push as much of it inside her lungs as she possibly could. Something inside her knew she was going to vomit in a moment and spoil the air even more, but she just couldn't help it. It was like the air was made of candy. Strawberry toffi, her favourite kind.

"Kat," she moaned loudly in between her desperate gasps. Her asthma was trying to kill her - and was pretty close to it - but she wouldn't give in. Not like this.

Katarina put a finger to her mouth to silence the girl, but Lux wasn't looking at her. Someone hit the door the Noxian supported herself against with such power that she almost fell face first to the muck on the ground, but she held on to the handle. She won't let them in. Not like this. Lux's leg was bleeding hard and she sat down on the floor helplessly with her back to a big, wooden pillar. If anybody got through the Noxian's defences right now, Lux would have no real chances of running away. The mage's staff lied five feet away from her, completely forgotten by its owner. A _light_ went out in Katarina's brain and she tried to kick the rod with her boot. She strained her thigh muscles, but to no effort. She couldn't reach the damned thing without leaving the door. Another thud at the wooden gate behind her made her lose her balance again. The planks were beginning to crack.

"Lux," she tried to say calmly, but was surprised with how shaky her voice was. The blonde still wouldn't look at her, and she had to get her attention somehow. They had to get out of here. "Lux, for fuck's sake. Listen to me."

The Demacian's head shot up at her with eyes wide open, as if she's just realised Katarina was still standing there. Lux couldn't help the surprised yelp coming out of her mouth upon the sight of the older woman. Blood was running down the Noxian's face from a cut on her forehead, and a wide, dark bruise was already spreading all over her eye and cheek. She stood in a way that looked anything but comfortable, holding the door with her whole body weight. A deep man's voice shouted something outside the building, but neither of the girls trapped inside could distinguish his words. Lux's stomach finally gave in to the stress and she bent over to empty it over the hay, thankfully missing her own hands. A pair of black, watery eyes looked at her with what couldn't have been anything else than disgust. Even cows despised her now.

"Come on, Firefly," Kat's voice was cracking, but she tried her best to keep her composture. This wasn't going to get them anywhere. She needed Lux to think clear. "Get your act together. Grab that staff."

Another strong kick at the door threatened to break the planks.

"I can't," Lux started, but a series of coughs interrupted. Katarina didn't push her to talk as she waited for her coughing to give way to a quiet sob. "I can't breathe."

"I know," the Noxian tried to keep her tone as neutral as possible, but she wasn't doing the best job. She had to keep one eye closed to prevent the blood from dripping into it, and her whole body was shaking now. "It'll be alright, just trust me. Calm down."

"I'm trying to!"

Katarina wanted to shout back at her for acting so childishly, but she knew better than that. She resisted the anger building inside her guts and fought the urge to throw something at the blonde. Blood was pounding in the Noxians ears and her head felt far too light on her shoulders. Her own breathing was becoming rigid, she realised, as she watched Lux put her hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop the asthmatic attack. Everything seemed to be painted in grey and Katarina knew she was already losing grip of the world around her. Her treacherous body was about to shut her down.

"Lux," she tried once more, as gently as possible. The blonde wasn't even paying attention to her anymore, occupied now with the wound at her leg. The arrow almost missed her, only leaving a big cut on Lux's outer thigh. Katarina inhaled sharply, seeing the world go black for a moment. She was losing the feeling in her arms and legs, but she resisted another kick at the door. "I can't hold it much longer."

With a quick, absent glance in Katarina's eyes, Lux left the pillar and slowly crawled over to where her staff was. She gripped it so tightly her knuckles became white. Trying to stand up, she fought back the tears threatening to break free. The pain in her leg was overwhelming, but she had to endure it. Just a flesh wound, she thought to herself, just a minor cut. The bones had to be intact, otherwise she would surely faint trying to move. She finally stood up straight with a triumphant expression and looked over in the Noxian's direction.

Katarina slumped against the door, not able to control her body anymore. The scent of smoke eclipsed the stench of the air around them, and soon enough long, flickering tongues of fire licked the wall opposite from the Noxian. She saw Lux getting over to her, but she was so painfully slow. Despite the hay burning a few feet away from them, the world around Katarina was getting darker with each passing second, before turning completely black. Last thing she saw was the shimmer of light in the mage's blonde hair.

Kat couldn't help her anymore.

All things considered, this was not going to end well.

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**A/N:** Hope you've enjoyed this short prologue. Don't worry, everything is going to get clearer with the following chapters. If you liked it (or not) - leave a review with your thoughts. Till the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1: Requests

Welcome back! Thank you for all the kind reviews. I hope this chapter will please you as much as the prologue.

**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

* * *

**All Things Considered**

Chapter 1: Requests

Katarina pinched the bridge of her nose so hard she could almost hear the bone cracking.

She stood in the middle of her room at the Institute, facing the door for the past fifteen minutes. It was well past midnight now. Storm was breaking outside, lightning the bare, greyish-white walls from time to time. In the brief moments of light she could see her own reflection in the mirror standing in the corner, her face twisted in an unnamed expression, a mix of determination, anger and disbelief. Was it _anxiety_ she saw in her eyes, too? She quickly scolded herself for that.

What she was about to do was certainly not appealing to her, but it was no reason to be anxious. Katarina was an assasin, after all. She knew how to sneak up on people.

* * *

It was shortly after dinner that she had heard a soft knock on her door. Just as she stood up to answer it and tell the person to get the hell out of her face, it opened quickly to reveal the scale-covered bottom half of her sister's body slithering in unceremonously. Katarina moved her gaze to the serpent's face, her own bearing a look of utter disgust.

"What do you want now?" she asked harshly, standing in her sister's way to block her from venturing any further into the room. Cassiopeia was clad in her usual brassiere, which only aggravated Katarina more. She hated it when her sister dressed like a whore, which meant the majority of the time when she wasn't stark naked. The Sinister Blade assumed she even slept like this, but she quickly discarded the thought.

"Can't I just come by to sssay hello?" she answered with a question. Katarina almost kicked her out the very instant she started speaking in that annoying, serpentine manner, but she resisted the urge long enough to at least let her finish. The older Noxian could swear Cassiopeia was acting that way purely to piss her off. The mere sight of her sister was beginning to make her furious.

"Of course not," she barked at the younger Du Couteau, crossing her arms over the leather jacket at her chest. Cassiopeia's face fell for but a moment before the all too familiar smile crept its way back onto her lips. Katarina could almost feel the heat of the rage building inside her guts, but she didn't let it show outside. The only indication of her disgust was the fire in her eyes.

"Yes, of courssse not," Cassiopeia agreed, slithering over to Katarina's desk and planning to rummage through the papers on it, but the redhead quickly put her hand atop the documents. The younger sister frowned at her. "Enough of the false courtesssy. There is indeed sssomething I wanted to ask."

"Quit the hissing," Katarina's gaze was hard when Cassiopeia's surprised eyes landed upon her own. "I know you can talk like a _normal_ person. What do you want?"

* * *

She should've just kicked the Serpent's Embrace out at this point. It was a mistake to even let her finish, but Katarina could only blame her own curiosity for that. She glanced at the small parchment in her hand, regretting ever asking her sister for writing the name down. In the pale light of the lantern outside her window, she could barely make out Cassiopeia's elegant handwriting. She folded the piece carelessly and hid it in the safety of her pants' pocket. It would be a long time till she even needs it.

Her door was _staring_ back at her now, its threatening gaze persuading her not to go. The soft bed behind her back spoke of comfort and warmth, things she would soon miss so badly. She glanced at the deep emerald, velvet bedding and had to resist her sudden desire to just lie down and let herself drift somewhere far away in a dreamless sleep. The bag laying beside her dresser looked heavy, far too heavy for her to lift it up, let alone carry it along her journey. Every single thing in her room gathered to stop her from going, to save her from the unnecessary endeavour.

* * *

"This is a curse," Cassiopeia started, running her hand down her scaled side. Her voice was free of the mocking manner, almost pleasant to listen to now. Her face was lit dimly with the only candle alight in Katarina's room, making her viridian eyes sparkle and her ruby lips contrast so perfectly with her pale skin.

"You don't say," Katarina responded, watching her sister's face carefully. Cassiopeia's gaze landed upon her again, stunning the older Noxian in place with the anger she didn't expect to see in them. She supposed her own face reflected the emotion, for the serpent looked away hurriedly.

"This is a curse," she repeated and Katarina didn't interrupt her this time. If she needed an ouverture to her request, Katarina may as well grant it before refusing. "And as every curse, it is a work of magic. A simple, primal magic in this case."

"Get to the point."

"It may be reversed," her voice cracked at the end of this sentence and she coughed to hide it from Katarina. It didn't work. "It can always be reversed, and usually in the simplest way possible."

Katarina huffed, a smirk entering her face. It couldn't be that simple, or else her sister would be standing on her own legs now.

"And you're telling me about that because...?"

"I've had a talk with Udyr today," she said and for a moment Katarina considered if she should laugh or cry at that. From what she knew of the man, he liked to consort with the animals. She didn't even want to imagine in what ways exactly, but her guess was her sister would be partially attractive to him. "He spent his youth in the Hirana Monastery, devouring the books from their library. He said there were records of curses similar to mine."

"And, of course, you chose to trust him, because every lunatic seems to be such a reliable source of information."

"No, Katarina," she looked her straight in the eyes once again, this time her gaze unfaltering. "I trusted him, because the name of the very man that brought this fate upon me figured on those records' pages."

Katarina had to take her time to digest her sister's words at that point, and Cassiopeia didn't interrupt her. They stood like this in complete silence, the thick walls of the redhead's room stopping any sounds of the outside world from enetering her domain. She sat down on the chair at her desk, followed by her sister's eyes before the serpent chose to lower herself, coiling the long tail underneath her torso. Katarina looked at it acutely, trying to recall the picture of Cassiopeia before the curse. Pure viridian eyes and full, ruby lips were the easiest to imagine, but they bore a softer look than those she was looking at now. She remembered the soft waves of strawberry-blonde hair falling on frail shoulders, down to her perfect, round breast Katarina was always so envious of. The delicate fingers of her porcelain hands with perfectly shaped nails. Her lower torso, uncovered with scales, so smooth and toned, her silhouette an ideal hourglass. Below her hips, those marvellous legs, an object of desire of everyone regardless of their age and gender. She would always dress attractively, seductively, but never the whorish way she got accustomed to now. If the curse could be reversed _in the simplest way possible_, Katarina could send her sister back home and get rid of the burning in the back of her mind she felt everytime she cast a look at the serpent.

"I need your _help_," Cassiopeia's pleading voice cut through her memories, bringing her back to the reality.

"Go on."

"There is a way," she stopped, but Katarina waved her hand at her to continue. This was taking way too much of her time. "I need to find that man. I've had some of our people track him until a few years ago, when I finally gave up," her voice bore a bitter tone. "Last I heard of him, he was in Southern Freljord, near the Demacian border."

"Shouldn't you hire somebody to get him?"

"I'm in process of hiring the best assasin in Noxus."

* * *

A smirk entered Katarina's face. Regardless of her current serpentine looks, Cassiopeia could still be convincing in the way she used to be those few years back. She knew well how to manipulate people, a thing she was taught to do ever since she developed some more womanly figure. The smirk faded as a bitter thought overpowered every other ones and the Sinister Blade sucked hard on her teeth. She let herself be a marionette in the serpent's trained hands.

She moved a step closer to the door and forced her legs to continue further, even though her mind screamed in objection. She felt her hand collide with the doorknob to turn it and before she could register what happened, Katarina faced the dark corridor of the Institute of War. Automatically, she turned right and walked a steady pace, her heavy boots making near to none noise on the carpeted floor. She passed a few sets of doors, thinking of the occupants of the Noxian rooms sleeping tightly in their beds before she made a quick stop in front of her sister's chambers. Katarina considered knocking and telling her she's backing out but her feet carried her on, fast and swift. She opened the door leading out of the Noxian wing and continued down the dark halls, her eyes set far ahead. She jumped down a flight of stairs without a single louder breath, speeding her pace up with each passing second. Before she knew it, the anger building inside her guts forced her legs to run, erasing every single thought from her tired brain.

* * *

"So you want him dead."

"No," Cassiopeia's lips curled in a devious smile and though Katarina hated to admit it, a single shiver ran down her spine at the sight. "I need a thing he owns. I leave his life to your own twisted imagination."

"I haven't agreed yet," she reminded her. "What is the thing you need? I suppose you'd want me to carry it back to you."

"It's the sword he made me swear upon." Katarina knew the story all too well to ask for any further information. A thing as simple as a broken promise turning her sister's life into a constant mix of madness and pain made the redhead's stomach twist in disgust. She despised Cassiopeia for letting herself be tricked so easily. "I need to destroy it. Udyr told me of records of an ancient artifact bearing power unknown and unimaginable to us. The man holds it as a gem in the sword's hilt," she paused, her face uncertain for a moment. "Or so they say. Destroying it will break this spell."

"Guess a few of those cursed girls would need to thank you."

"They're all dead. The curse killed them."

"Oh."

She might not have had the best relationship with her sister throughout all these years, but hearing this made her heart skip a beat. Katarina never wished her to die, that much was certain to the Noxian herself. The determined look in Cassiopeia's eyes now awoke a sympathy buried deep down Katarina's chest. She stood up quickly, not trusting her facial features enough to face the younger girl.

"I'll do it," she spoke in a voice as neutral as possible, making an incredible effort not to look in her sister's direction. She took a piece of parchment and placed it on the table before Cassiopeia along with a quill. "Write down the man's name. Southern Freljord, you say?" she sighed. "I will need to get through Demacian lands first. This might take ages."

"I will come with you."

"No," Katarina looked sternly at her sister, making the younger Noxian shrink a bit. "You would only slow me down. Besides, I want to pass by unnoticed and your huge, slithering _tail_ is a little hard to conceal. I will need you to cover my ass here while I'm gone. Make up a good lie for me."

"Thank you," said Cassiopeia, handing her the parchment. Katarina only shrugged it off, not even looking at the piece in her hand or in her sister's direction as the younger woman slithered past her, reaching for the door. She knew Cassiopeia had known Katarina would agree to help her the very instant the serpent heard there was a way to return to her normal self and the older Noxian hated herself for her inability to refuse. Deep inside, though she would never admit it to anyone, she wanted to see those strawberry-blonde waves and pale, marble legs again.

"Hey, Cass," she said, a smirk on her face just in time to stop her sister from opening the door. A confused pair of eyes landed upon her face. "Will you be as beautiful as you were?"

"Wh-" Cassiopeia was unable to answer at first, taken aback by the sudden compliment. She cleared her throat and continued in a high-pitched voice. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Good," Katarina's teeth bared in a wicked smile, setting her sister on alert. "Being pretty was the only thing you were ever good at."

* * *

She stopped in front of the door she knew led to the room she needed to get in. It was white, decorated with gilded ornaments that almost made her puke this very moment. The Demacian taste for unnecessary decorations unsettled her. She gathered her energy to perform the quick steps technique, smiling ironically at the massive lock and imagining it looking back at her with hopeless eyes. Before she could play the scene out in her mind, she was on the other side of the wall. The inside of the room striked her with how different it was from her own. She knew all the champion rooms at the Institute had the same size and composition, but this one looked like it was taken out of a completely different world. Despite the darkness, she could still recognize the color of the walls as pale pink and white, adorned with thin baby blue stripes, a mix she would never even think of. A big, wooden white dressing table stood next to the door, cluttered with various sorts of perfumes and make-up accesories Katarina may have seen before in her sister's chambers, but never had the chance or will to use. The chair in front of it was occupied with a fluffy stuffed animal. The Noxian felt her stomach twist. This room should belong to a child, not a champion at the Institute of War.

The canopied bed stood on the opposite wall, right next to a giant window similar to that in her own room, only this one's frame was painted white. She moved carefully to avoid making any noise, even though a plush, pink carpet covered the majority of the floor. When she got to the bed, Katarina tugged gently at the canopy, spreading it enough to let some of the moonlight fall on the bed occupant's face.

The girl was soporose and unaware of any intruder beings in her room, her face bearing an expression of a dreamful bliss. Her golden locks were spread across the pink satin pillow, tangled with the frail fingers of her hands. The white nightgown she was clad in slipped from her right shoulder and goosebumps appeared on the exposed creamy skin. Katarina sat down beside her, hovering above the younger girl's body.

"Wake up," she said quietly, but in the silent room her harsh voice sounded louder than the thunders outside the building. She quickly put a hand over Lux's mouth, just in time to prevent her from screaming in fright. Only a muffled moan came out of the Demacian's throat as her eyes tried to make out Katarina's face in the darkness.

"Listen to me," the Noxian was whispering now, but Lux could still recognize her voice. Her body stiffened and she tried to reach her staff, which was supported against the wall just beside her bed. Seeing this, Katarina quickly kicked it away, the rod falling soundlessly on the carpeted floor. "Don't even think about it. I won't do anything to you, just be a good girl."

She had to press harder on the hand holding Lux's mouth as the Demacian tried to sit up. This wasn't nearly as hard as she thought it would be, the blonde wasn't putting up too much of a struggle. Katarina was almost getting _comfortable_ with this whole situation, just sitting like this and waiting for the girl's will to break. She hissed involuntarily in surprise as a set of nails dug into the skin of her free hand before those frail fingers locked themselves around her wrist. She shrugged them off and caught Lux's hand with her left one, her right never leaving the Demacian's mouth.

A sharp pain forced her to take it away as Lux's teeth found their way to her skin. Before the Light Mage could make another move Katarina was on top of her, straddling the blonde's waist and pinning both her arms with her knees. She covered the younger girl's mouth using both of her hands with such force that she was sure the Demacian's lips would be bleeding. The Noxian half expected her to scream anyway, but Lux only looked at her with wide eyes, her chest rising and falling frantically. She was trying hard to breathe in through the mouth Katarina was covering.

"I'll get to the point," the redhead started with a snarl, digging her own nails in the girl's cheeks painfully, but careful enough not to leave any marks. "I need a small favor from you. Demacian pass papers, that is. An order from Lord Crownguard, make it as you wish, just to get through the border. Stop shaking your head, I'll let you speak if you don't try to shout."

Katarina let go of the girl and instead took hold of the daggers at her hips. Lux's eyes were still wide, the sapphire orbs locked on Katarina's hands as she tried to steady her breathing.

"Why," she started quietly, but had to stop to take a deeper breath, blood from her lips smeared over her chin. Katarina's brows furrowed. "Why would you even think I'll help you get inside Demacia? Do you think I'm dumb?"

"_Yes_," she answered the last question, her teeth gritted. "What I want to do there is none of your concern. Like I said, I only need to get through the Demacian border."

"Then do it as you've always done, Noxian."

"That's illegal," the end of the sentence turned into a short laugh. Lux felt the blood in her veins froze when she saw the look in Katarina's eyes. "We have a truce now, our lands. Wouldn't want to break it for my personal issues."

"And if I refuse?" Lux's breathing was slower now, but her voice was still shaking. Katarina pretended to think about her question for a moment, gaining the much appreciated factor of suspense as Lux's eyes pierced through her face, trying to read her thoughts. Mockingly, Katarina put a finger to her chin and lifted her head to look out the window. A thunderbolt lightened the sky for a while, exposing the Noxian's wicked expression as she hunched above Lux with her dagger next to the younger girl's tender throat.

"Then I may consider breaking it with a _bang_."

* * *

The storm died out, but the air was still thick with the scent of rain. Katarina sat perched on her windowsill, looking down at the pavement below her window. It wasn't a long jump, really - safe enough for her to land correctly, but the stones were mossy and wet and she could slip on them easily. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of night. Crickets were coming out of their hiding places and started their annoying noise, some frogs were croaking in a nearby pond. A lone nightingale started its song, but it soon died out in the wind. A howl could be heard from the woods, the wolves seeking out their nightly prey.

A single knock on the door almost made her jump out the window. She got up to answer it, slowly, taking her time knowing the girl wouldn't go away. The Noxian postponed the moment of opening the door, feeling the bile in her mouth again at the mere thought of facing the blonde. Finally, she swung it open, startling the girl outside to the point of gasping. Katarina pulled her inside hurriedly. She didn't want anybody to see a Demacian in the Noxian wing.

"Be quick with it," she said, lightning a candle on her desk. Lux's lips were still bruised from their previous encounter, but they weren't bleeding anymore. She lied down a roll of parchment, tied with a broad, blue ribbon. Katarina looked at it doubtfully for a second before reaching out for the paper. She held it with the tips of her fingers, as if the damned thing could catch fire at any possible moment.

"It won't bite," Lux started, but was quickly silenced with a glare from the Noxian. Katarina untied the ribbon, throwing it carelessly on the desk and unrolled the parchment.

"Arina Steelblade," she read out loud. "Very funny. A servant of the Crownguard family," she glared at the Demacian, but the younger girl was looking at the floor. "A summon signed by the Lord Crownguard himself. A whole lot of unimportant text now. Away with learning purpose. Doesn't speak best of your Demacian universities, huh. And there's a seal, too."

"My father gave me a pendant with our coat of arms when I came of age. It's a little smaller than his signet ring, but it's really hard to notice, especially if you can't compare the two."

Katarina looked at the seal closely. Just as Lux said, she would have never seen the difference between this and the one the blonde's father would make. A slight pang of respect for the younger girl crossed her heart, but she quickly shunned it. The Noxian looked at her guest once again, noticing her fumbling with another, similar roll of parchment in her hands.

"What's with this one?" Katarina said suddenly, motioning to the roll and Lux jumped in surprise. She made an attempt to hide it in her pocket before she realized it was pointless now that the older girl has seen it. Wordlessly, she passed it over to the Noxian, who took the roll with a questioning look.

"This is mine," Lux started before Katarina even undid the royal blue ribbon. "I'm coming with you."

Had it been any other time, Katarina would have laughed heartily at something so absurd, but now she just stared at the younger girl with a bewildered expression. She was already clad in a purple, hooded cloak along with some leggings and leather boots. She had a pouch strapped on to a rather wide belt on her hips and a small bag was resting at her feet. Katarina didn't notice them before, she was too occupied with the papers to even look at the girl. She balled her fists.

"No," the Noxian stated simply, looking at Lux with fire in her eyes. "You're not coming with me. Where do you get those crazy ideas?"

"I agreed to help you-"

"I only needed your stupid papers."

"Those papers are not enough!" Lux raised her voice and caught Katarina's hand in mid-air, as the older girl was already reaching to cover her mouth. The Noxian was startled for a moment, but she quickly yanked her arm free. "Demacian papers won't make you any less Noxian than you are. Your manner of speaking is so heavily influenced that _anyone_ would know where you're from the instant your mouth would open. And as far as I know, my family doesn't hire Noxian servants. Nobody would believe you."

Katarina looked at her sternly, her teeth gritted. The younger girl was right, it occured to her now.

"Then make other papers," she said slowly, watching the light play on Lux's face. "Not a servant. Something else."

"You're _Noxian_!" she exclaimed, and Katarina felt her eye twitch. "The only Noxians allowed in Demacia are your diplomats, and even my father doesn't have the power to summon them! There are so many papers you would have to have on you that I can't even begin to count them, not to mention I don't know how they should look like. Besides, they would have to be signed by the King Jarvan III himself-"

"Alright," she put a hand up to silence her. "No Noxians allowed, I get it. How is your _delightful_ presence going to help me, then?"

"I'm going to be the one speaking. You'd have to hide your face, too. I doubt the guards won't recognize the Sinister Blade."

"And you?" she asked, earning a surprised look. "Wouldn't they recognize the Lady of Luminosity?"

"The Lady of Luminosity doesn't have a distinctive scar across her face."

Katarina looked at the papers spread on her desk. The second one read Anna Steelblade, another servant of the Crownguard family.

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked, irritation written all over her face.

"Because I agreed to help you. I used the Crownguards' coat of arms and forged my father's signature. If they caught you on the border with false pass papers, my family would be in danger."

Katarina walked back to the window, looking down on the pavement again. Her bag was lying under the windowsill, ready for the journey ahead. She heard the rustle of parchment as Lux was tying it back together.

"Only to the border," Katarina said quietly, turning around to face her. The blonde had already put the papers in her waist-pouch and secured it with a leather strap. "To the border, and then you're gone. You're not slowing me down and you're not whining. You're not saying _anything_ at all, unless I ask you a question. Understand?"

Lux nodded her head shortly and crouched to pick her bag up before getting over to the Noxian. Katarina tied her own sack around her shoulder and she didn't even look at the blonde before jumping out of the window. She landed steadily with a soft splat of the wet soil beneath her boots, the scent of nightly mist filling her nostrils. The air around her was fresh and moist after the downfall and it helped to soothe her mind a bit. She heard another, louder splat behind her back and she knew the Demacian has joined her. Katarina turned around to see the girl still on the ground, massaging the knee she had to hit on the pavement. The Noxian shook her head in disbelief before pulling on her hood and putting a finger to her mouth, silencing whatever words were trying to escape the other girl's lips. The redhead turned around, motioning Lux to follow her.

They headed for the woods surrounding the Institute's grounds. Just a day's journey to the border.

Katarina cursed under her breath.

All things considered, she shouldn't have agreed to help Cass.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter (or if you think it totally sucks). As for your question, **Luxius** - I intend to make this a friendship fic, though I do not exclude any possible pairings.


	3. Chapter 2: Never Trust a Demacian's Plan

Welcome back! Whew, that was a long break.

**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

**Warning:** This story includes a lot of _bad language_ (there's Katarina in it, duh). If you feel offended by obscenities, please do not read this chapter.

* * *

**All Things Considered**

Chapter 2: Never Trust a Demacian's Plan

All the anger management excersises her father had put her up to when she was a kid have finally paid off.

The sun was rising over the horizon and Katarina _still_ hadn't killed Lux. She considered it, of course, even attempted to throw a knife at the girl once, but overall the Noxian was proud of her own patience. She tried keeping a safe, fifty feet distance between the two of them, giving the blonde a hard time to catch up with her.

But Lux was _whimpering_.

"I promise," Katarina's voice was as full of venom as her sister's fangs when she stopped and turned around to look at Lux, startling the younger girl even though the Demacian was still a good twenty feet away. Katarina started to slowly walk in her direction, her hands rested on the daggers at her hips. "No, I fucking _swear_, Crownguard, if you make that noise again, I'm going to cut your throat open, take your vocal chords out and then burn them in the sunlight."

She stopped right in front of Lux, holding one of her blades a few inches away from the girl's neck to prove her point. The blonde's reddened cheeks paled at her statement and she backed away, stumbling on a lone root protruding out of the dirt path.

"I am not doing it on purpose," she said, putting a hand up between Katarina's dagger and herself. Only now, as the Demacian straightened her back did Katarina notice the girl's chest was heaving, her mouth slightly agape and her breath rigid. Crownguard looked as if she'd just ran a mile or survived a really hard teamfight on the Fields of Justice. Minus all the cuts and bruises.

"What's with all the panting?" she asked, putting the blade down in its sheath and staring at her provocatively. She had started regretting letting Lux follow her the very instant they've left the Institute, but now she was only willing for a sole reason to kick the girl's butt. The rational part of her mind stopped her from doing so, knowing what Lux had said that night had been true. She hated the very thought, but she needed the Demacian to get across the border. It still didn't mean she had to put up with her whining.

"We have been walking for almost three hours without as much as a short break," the blonde gasped, putting the hand to her chest now and bending down a little, sticking her staff into the ground and leaning on it. She was having problems with keeping up to Katarina at first, but now she just struggled for her lungs not to burn out.

"It's a flat road," Katarina stated blankly, motioning to the dirt trail they were standing on. "No ups and downs, only a turn every now and then. Why the hell would we need to stop?"

"I'm tired."

"You're tired," the Noxian repeated, staring at her dumbly, but Lux was looking at the ground. "You're tired of walking. Of putting one of your feet in front of the other and shifting your body weight on it."

"Yes," Lux bent further down, steadying her breath. "And I know what walking is about."

And she whimpered once more.

Katarina's eye twitched. This could only remind her of how Cassiopeia was acting when she was a child. Years ago, when the Serpent was far younger than the Demacian in front of her. Katarina's fists balled and were struggling to leave her sides, grab one of the blades, throw it at a certain blonde. But she stood still. Her father would be so proud of her.

"Fine," she spat out through gritted teeth, forcing every muscle in her body to stay straight and not to strangle the Demacian. Only to the fucking border. "A break. You have two minutes."

Lux looked at her with doubtful eyes, but Katarina's face was hard. The blonde sighed, straightening herself and turning her head to face the woods around the path, searching for anything suitable to sit on it. The morning was crisp and fresh, a cool breeze played in her hair when she took off her hood. She still couldn't understand what kind of demon got into her in the night. She had left the Institute on impulse, but she had still thought of all the necessary things. She slipped a note under Quinn's door, and she prayed to gods that Quinn would catch the bait. Thankfully, Lux had a day off today and nobody would try to summon her to the Rift. She only hoped Prince Jarvan IV, Seneschal Xin Zhao and, most of all, Garen wouldn't come back from their field mission sooner than scheduled.

* * *

"Crownguard," Katarina's voice resembled a bark of a really big and very angry dog. "We're going. _Now_."

Lux quickly packed the half-eaten sandwich in paper and put it back in her bag. She's already tried resisting Katarina's order on the third stop by just sitting still on a log, deciding the older girl wouldn't force her to go anyway. Her bruised left arm still regretted it, and she didn't want to go through another ten minutes of Katarina mercilessly dragging her.

It was early afternoon now, and Lux's feet were crying for help, but she walked behind the Noxian with no complain. Other than that one fight, she managed to keep herself from awakening Katarina's rage by simply following her orders and keeping her mouth shut. To keep her mind of the pain pulsing in her thighs, she imagined a wide range of things that could happen to the Du Couteau right now, most of them resulting in the Noxian's sudden, but painful death. So far the best image was that of a stampede of forest buffalos running the redhead over and tearing her limbs apart, then taking Lux back to her bed at the Institute.

The bad thing was, in the back of her mind Lux knew there were no such things as forest buffalos.

"Marshes," Katarina stated after roughly half an hour. Lux stopped looking at the ground beneath her feet and raised her head. Indeed, the forest was coming to an end and now the path went downward between tall grass, leading to a couple of big ponds of muddy water shining in the afternoon sun. Lux was speechless.

"Kaladoun," she finally managed to get out, even though she still couldn't believe her eyes. They had to move much faster than she though at first, covering the distance of twenty miles in half a day. She looked down at her shaking legs and almost felt like collapsing.

"Not yet," Katarina's voice was rough and she waved her hand at Lux to force her to go. "We're still in the stray lands. We'd probably be in Kaladoun if you weren't _that_ slow. There's a border guard camp in there, stationed by the bridge over the Serpentine river. That's where we have to get."

"How long until we reach it?"

"An hour. If it takes longer, I'm going to shove a dagger up your ass."

* * *

The sun was already setting when they saw the fire of the border guard camp. Lux's ass was intact, but the Noxian was almost spitting acid. The rage building inside her got to the point where she knew that if Lux as much as opened her mouth to speak now, she'd jump on her and start hitting the girl until she'd either pass out or die, not minding the soldiers coming to her rescue.

"The border camp!" Lux chirped happily twenty feet behind Katarina, but quickly shut up as she heard a loud crack coming from the Noxian. She focused her eyes at the camp before them. She could distinguish the figures of about thirty soldiers, some of them sitting beside the fire, some just walking around, minding their business. Four other soldiers guarded the massive stone bridge, fifty feet away from the camp. She could hear the sound of the Serpentine River beneath the bridge.

Katarina stopped, casually massaging her aching left hand, her face never showing the anger inside. She needed to stop balling her fists like this, Lux thought. That crack didn't sound too good.

"Put your hood on," Katarina ordered in the calmest voice possible, her dark brown one already covering her head and the upper part of her face. Lux complied, making sure to cover all of her blonde hair. Anything could give her identity away, even though she doubted foot soldiers had the time or money to watch the matches on the Fields of Justice in Hextechvision. "Don't do anything stupid. We don't want to start a _war_ now."

"What if they do recognise me afterall?" she voiced her fears, gulping heavily. "I mean, they are kind of cut out of the society here, but to what extent?"

"Don't think about it," Katarina pushed Lux's shoulder a bit too hard, urging her forward. "Don't think _at all_. Just say what you have to say and act normal. If you hurry, you'll be in the Institute tomorrow. There's no turning back, they've already noticed us. If we run now, it will seem suspicious. Do you know what to do?"

"Yes, shut up already," Lux hissed, quietly enough for the soldiers not to hear her. She couldn't fully see Katarina's face from underneath her hood, but she could guess the bared teeth didn't come from a smile. "Noxian accent. And tie your cloak, if they see any of your blades, we're doomed."

Katarina grunted something unintelligible in response, but she tied her cloak anyway, covering the bag hanging at her shoulder. That reminded Lux of her staff, which she quickly put between her back and the leather strap of her bag, hidden under her own cape.

"They preparing dinner now," they both heard one of the guards say. Another one sniffed the air and spat.

"Lamb chops, smells so," the other one added, rubbing his stomach. "We starving, Fitch. They gonna eat all the best bits, they always do."

A third soldier - Fitch they guessed - moved from where he was resting against the stone ledge of the bridge, taking a rather big and shiny glaive from the ground.

"Alright, boys," he said while bowing at Lux and Katarina, who just approached the bridge. "You go and take your plates now, me and Kyle are gonna deal with the ladies here."

"Tell the boys from the night guard to hurry up, we're freezing here at the river," Kyle added, smiling widely at Lux who blushed a bit in response. "Just save some chops for us too, we're counting on you now."

The two guards took their own glaives and left in a hurry, talking happily about the dinner awaiting them. Katarina smirked. Of course they didn't need four men to deal with two _ladies_. If she had known it would be _that_ easy, she could have left Crownguard at the Institute.

"Good evening, ladies," Fitch said, leaning on his glaive with a brisk smile. "Passing the border at this hour?"

"There's a long way behind us," Lux said in a voice lower than usual, but still normal enough not to sound suspicious.

"A long way?" Kyle cut in, showing his teeth in a wide smile. "Where are you coming from, may we ask?"

"The Institute of War," Lux answered without as much as a second of hesitation. Katarina looked at her in bewilderment, but none of the guards seemed to notice.

"Ah, young Summoners, eh?" Fitch straightened himself. "Tired of working with all the grand champions and coming back home?"

"Something along these lines," Lux smiled, but the corner of her mouth twitched a bit. Again, the guards didn't seem to notice.

"Ah, I _get_ it," Kyle's smile widened even more. "I would have had enough of those Noxian bastards too. Pretending to accept the bloody swines. They forced you to work with them?"

"Not really," Lux could notice Katarina's hands ball into fists again at the corner of her eye. "Demacian Summoners are not allowed to work with any Noxians until classification level 20."

"Ah, pity," Fitch sighed, leaning against the ledge again. "Might be one of our young, inexperienced dearies would accidentaly destroy a Noxian brain or two."

"Yeah, like that snake-wench," Kyle added, and Lux could almost feel the heat of Katarina's anger. "Why do they even allow something like _this_ in the League? Anyway, may we see your pass papers?"

Lux quickly undid the buttons of her bag and searched for the parchment rolls. She took advantage of the rapid movements she had to make to elbow Katarina in her ribs. The Noxian stood still, but Lux couldn't trust her enough with that short temper.

"Here," she passed Kyle the two rolls tied with blue ribbons. He undid them and read quickly, his eyes following Lux's own handwriting.

"House Crownguard, hm?" Fitch took a look above Kyle's shoulder. "Must be pretty tiring working for the bourgeois Lords. No wonder you've left for the Institute."

It was Lux's turn to get angry, and she couldn't help but notice Katarina's smile.

"Anna, right?" Kyle asked the blonde, and she quickly nodded her head. He looked over at Katarina. "And Arina Steelblade. The silent one."

"My sister is mute," Lux cut in before he could continue. He raised his eyebrows at her, but then shook his head and turned to Katarina with an apologetic smile.

"Pardon my rudeness," he bowed his head slightly and handed her the papers. Katarina took them without raising her head, the upper part of her face hidden in the shade of her hood. Kyle cleared his throat. "Everything seems fine here, Fitch. I think we can let the ladies go."

Fitch nodded his head and Kyle moved away to let Lux and Katarina pass. The girls have inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, when suddenly a shining blade appeared right before Katarina's breasts.

"Hang on a second," Fitch said, following his own glaive to stand in front of the Noxian. "I get it you're mute, lady. But I like it when somebody looks at me when I'm speaking to them."

"She's _awfully_ shy," Lux said with a nervous smile. She started to move closer to Katarina, but Fitch moved the glaive to point at her.

"Awfully shy I can accept," he said, his eyes squinted in suspicion. "And mute too. But with that hood covering half of her face, I can't help it but feel like you're trying to _hide_ something."

"Come on, Fitch," Kyle moved in between the soldier's blade and Lux. "Let the ladies go. It's really cold here, no wonder she's wearing a hood. Their pass papers are all fine."

"I know. That's why I will let them go," Fitch turned to look at Katarina again, whose head was bowed even lower. "As soon as I see your face, miss _Steelblade_."

Fitch could only hear a loud swish followed by a thud before his mind realised what happened. With his eyes turning upward, his body fell to the ground unconscious. It took a while for Lux and Kyle to figure out what struck him, but Katarina was already running through the bridge.

"What the f-" Kyle started to say, but was quickly cut of with a blast of Lux's baton to his skull.

* * *

Lux was running in the wrong direction.

She should have just waited on the bridge, explain she was kidnapped and held against her will, tell everybody how sorry she was and then wait for an escort back to the Institute. She should be able to sit comfortably in the Institute's lounge with other Demacian champions and a mug of hot tea, watching a live broadcast of Katarina's capture on the Hextechvision. Listen to Prince Jarvan IV announcing the King has recieved a written apology from Noxian authorities, and passing her a letter in which a seperate written apology would be adressed to Luxanna Crownguard.

But she was on the other side of the river now. Illegally roaming the Kaladoun district, _invading_ her own city-state's lands. She had attacked a soldier wearing Demacian coat of arms on his chest. Her staff was still in her hand, as if glued to it ever since she swung it at the man. She could only hope the blast didn't kill him.

She felt tears well up in her eyes. One of the reasons was the sudden realisation that none of this would happen if the other guards didn't leave the post. They were just hungry and naive enough to trust that two women would do no harm to two grown men in armors. None of this would ever happen if she stayed back in her room at the Institute. Katarina wouldn't kill her anyway, she knew that now, but she was too damn afraid before to think rationally. Killing Lux, no, even attacking her just as Katarina did, in the Demacian's own bedroom meant breaking the League law, and the Demacian-Noxian treaty of non-agression.

The other reason was the burning in her chest. She could feel her heart beating in her throat, and she couldn't remember how long she has been running. Thankfully, there was a road here, so at least she wouldn't get lost in the woods on this side of the river.

She tripped over a root and fell down onto the dirt path, painfully scratching the palms of her hands and hitting her knees so badly her mind almost shut her down. She had this problem, she knew about it, but she could never do anything to help it. Hitting her knees or elbows could knock her out uncounscious. Hyperventilation could do it too. She should just lie down on the track and wait for the soldiers to catch her.

And someone caught her, indeed, but she was still counscious and it was no more than ten seconds after she fell. A tug at her right arm, painful. Has she really been running that slowly? They were going to arrest her now. Put her to prison. Luxanna Crownguard, sentenced for life for killing a guard on duty.

What would she tell her parents and brother?

"Get off the fucking ground," she heard Katarina growl through gritted teeth. Lux recognised the steel hold on her arm and for a brief moment she was thankful it wasn't the already bruised one. The blonde stood up on her feet, took the staff she had to drop when she fell and for a while she just let Katarina drag her.

They went into the woods, away from the path Lux held on to so desperately. The soggy ground was covered in tall, wet ferns and soon the Demacian's leggings were damp and sticking to the skin of her legs. But they went on, and Lux followed the Noxian even after the redhead had let go of her. In complete silence they watched the world around them go pitch black as the sun got replaced by the moon shining dimly through the trees. Lux didn't exactly know when the woods disappeared and they were on another path, going at a steady pace just as they were in the morning.

"What the..." she said as soon as Katarina stopped at a crossroads, but her voice was shaky and her throat was dry. She coughed a few times, noticing the hand she covered her mouth with was trembling. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt the rage grow inside her. Katarina was just standing there, looking at her like nothing has happened. Lux gritted her teeth. This just wasn't right. "What the _fuck_ was that!? You attacked that man and now you act like nothing is wrong! How crazy can you be- oh, for the love of gods, what have you done! You- you killed him! And then I killed the other one! It's all your-"

Katarina covered her mouth, but Lux wasn't done yet. Her baton fell from her hands and she started to throw punches at the older girl, missing most of the times and growling wildly as Katarina let go of her face to catch her arm. The Demacian managed to land a pretty decent kick at the redhead's shin before Katarina's fist crashed against her cheekbone. Lux was caught off guard long enough for the Noxian to kick her feet away, and the blonde fell down on her back.

"Are you done now?" Katarina asked quietly yet angrily, crouching beside her. Lux looked away. "First of all, I didn't kill that man. Only knocked him down with the hilt of my dagger."

"I hit the other guard with my staff," Lux noticed an owl looking at them from a distant tree and kept her eyes focused on it. Her already cut lip was starting to swell from Katarina's punch.

"You're too weak, Crownguard, don't even worry about that," Katarina meant to insult her, but Lux still felt relief wash over her. "Why'd you follow me?"

"I-" Lux had to think for a second. "I got scared and I didn't know what to do. It was kind of an impulse. Why did you come back for me?"

"I didn't," Katarina's face looked genuinely surprised. "You caught up with me. Only difference was I didn't use the goddamn path."

She stood up quietly and started to slowly walk away.

"What are you doing?" Lux asked, getting on her knees. Katarina didn't even turn around.

"Walking away."

"You can't leave me here!" Lux cried, running up to her. The redhead raised her eyebrows and she stopped, crossing her arms on her chest.

"We had a deal," she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Only to the border."

"It was before you assaulted a guard and forced me to do the same!"

"I didn't force you to do anything," the Noxian growled, but she resisted the urge to punch the Demacian again. "You got here on your own fucking wish."

"But-" Lux caught the sleeve of Katarina's shirt, which she quickly yanked free. "But what am I supposed to do now? I don't even know where I am anymore or-"

"I don't _care_. I never asked you to follow me."

The Noxian turned away and started to walk hurriedly, as if afraid Lux was going to catch up with her again. She didn't want to have to deal with anyone, especially not with a whining teenager. She needed to be on her way soon, or else Cassiopeia would have to come up with a really good lie to pull the wool over the Institute's eyes. As expected, Lux's brilliant little plan turned out to be a piece of shit and Katarina ended up doing what she would have to do anyway. She spent a whole day with the whining blonde for no particular reason and now was the time to set herself free. She turned her head around for a second. Lux was standing exactly how she left her, with eyes cast on the ground and shaking arms. Katarina stopped.

"Come on," she said, though one could mistake it for a bark. "I'll drop you off in the nearest village."

Lux raised her head and looked at the Noxian reluctantly before she quickly took the staff she had dropped on the ground. Katarina turned around once more and started to walk down the path, hearing the blonde's soft footsteps behind her. She looked up at the pale moon. A shout echoed in the distance, followed by many more and the neighing of horses. Katarina felt a shiver of anxiety running down her spine. The chase was on.

All things considered, she really couldn't just leave Crownguard here.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. Sorry for the long break between chapters, but as Murphy's law states - anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Unexpected things tend to happen. A lot. Anyway, as always - please leave a review stating your thoughts, it really helps me to develop the story in the best way possible.


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